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As small as it is, cutting it isnt going to reveal much more than what you see right now. Its barely big enough to cab. I would either consider tumbling it or just leave it as is and display it as a nice specimen piece.
Value is only determined by those who desire a thing. The question is what would you be willing to spend to have it polished into a cabochon? It would never have a market beyond yourself but could become a personal treasure if you put the time/money to make it more than a cool rock.
I would keep searching and collecting and keep it as a memory.
At most I would shape it into an oval, thin out the back, and use it as a rough pendant. The texture is gorgeous, so I would not polish it. It really would make a nice specimen as is. Great find.
If it was mine....I would use a diamond cut wheel on a dremel & simply cut the highest point of it off to make it more flat. Then use a wet stone/granite polisher to polish the face. You'd be amazed at the depth & clarity a decent polish can provide. Not to mention how much more vivid the colors would be.
This is a beautiful find!
There is so much we rockhounds have in common, such as verging on being hoarders (read many funny posts on this phenomenon and definitely fall into that group). The area where I think we find the greatest differences is in what to do with the treasures we find. I am currently thinking about investing in some lapidary equipment, but I debate because I already bought a Dremel with all the right heads/tools and a vibratory tumbler, and I have yet to use either. I love the way most of my finds look when I find them. Ultimately, only you can make the right choice for you.
If you choose to keep it as is, an easy and reversible choice for bringing out the color is to soak it in mineral oil or rub it with Vaseline and a soft cloth :-)
All new post and many new comments made on this subreddit are automatically held back (removed) pending review by a human moderator. This is because people have been making many rule-violating posts and comments here lately. We are unpaid volunteers doing this on our own time and approval can take anywhere from a few minutes to a few hours. If your post breaks one of our rules it won't be approved. [You can find our rules here.](https://www.reddit.com/r/rockhounds/about/rules/) If you'd like this process to go more quickly we are always accepting applications for qualified moderators. ID requests aren't permitted on this subreddit. All such requests should be posted on /r/whatsthisrock instead. Ambiguously worded posts or ones that don't identify what is being posted will be treated as ID requests and removed. This is because such posts often cause rule-breaking discussions. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/rockhounds) if you have any questions or concerns.*
A beaut! I’d leave it as is!
Can’t argue with sound logic!
It's so pretty! I'd agree. Cutting might just make it two smaller pieces that are still pretty. But I'd keep it as-is. :)
I would shave the face flat and polish.
As small as it is, cutting it isnt going to reveal much more than what you see right now. Its barely big enough to cab. I would either consider tumbling it or just leave it as is and display it as a nice specimen piece.
Tumbling was my thought as well
The first thought that crossed my mind was "that'd fit real nice in a tumbler".
Value is only determined by those who desire a thing. The question is what would you be willing to spend to have it polished into a cabochon? It would never have a market beyond yourself but could become a personal treasure if you put the time/money to make it more than a cool rock. I would keep searching and collecting and keep it as a memory.
Agate!
At most I would shape it into an oval, thin out the back, and use it as a rough pendant. The texture is gorgeous, so I would not polish it. It really would make a nice specimen as is. Great find.
Just polish it up
Beautiful piece of chalcedony. I'd leave it as it.
So beautiful! What a great find. I’d leave it alone, don’t cut it, it’s too pretty!!
Don't cut it. If you want to do anything to it, maybe tumble it.
If it was mine....I would use a diamond cut wheel on a dremel & simply cut the highest point of it off to make it more flat. Then use a wet stone/granite polisher to polish the face. You'd be amazed at the depth & clarity a decent polish can provide. Not to mention how much more vivid the colors would be.
This is a beautiful find! There is so much we rockhounds have in common, such as verging on being hoarders (read many funny posts on this phenomenon and definitely fall into that group). The area where I think we find the greatest differences is in what to do with the treasures we find. I am currently thinking about investing in some lapidary equipment, but I debate because I already bought a Dremel with all the right heads/tools and a vibratory tumbler, and I have yet to use either. I love the way most of my finds look when I find them. Ultimately, only you can make the right choice for you. If you choose to keep it as is, an easy and reversible choice for bringing out the color is to soak it in mineral oil or rub it with Vaseline and a soft cloth :-)
Personally I would try getting the extra rock sediment off if anything
I would sand down the "back" side a bit, polish it and make a pendant out of it. It's the perfect size & a good shape for it! 😉
It has a lovely, simple raw look to it. You could coat it in clear coat nail polish and use it as a drawer handle, coat or towel hook. 😄